A boy scout statue at the headquarters of the Boy Scouts of America. / Tony Gutierrez, AP

by The Editorial Board, USA TODAY

by The Editorial Board, USA TODAY

Wednesday's anticipated vote by the Boy Scouts of America on whether to drop its national ban on openly gay scouts and leaders has taken on all the trappings of culture-war politics: liberal petition drives, conservative e-mail campaigns, corporate pressure, prayer vigils, and opinions expressed everywhere from the Texas statehouse to the White House.

But what the decision really comes down to is one simple question: How should an organization that preaches kindness and honesty treat individuals?

Individuals such as Jen Tyrrell, an exceptional Cub Scout den leader who was ejected from her Bridgeport, Ohio, post last year because she is a lesbian.

Or James Dale, an exemplary Eagle Scout and assistant troop leader, who was forced out of Scouting in 1990 after leaders in New Jersey discovered from his comments in a newspaper that he was gay.

Dale fought his dismissal all the way to the Supreme Court, losing when the court ruled in 2000 that as a private organization, the Scouts have a constitutional right to exclude gays. Freedom of association, the court held, presupposes a freedom not to associate.

And so it does. But even as Scouting has clung steadfastly to its exclusionary policy, the country has changed, leaving Scouting on the wrong side of history. Other youth groups have successfully adopted non-discrimination policies. Two years ago, the U.S. military dropped its "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Wednesday, Scouting has another opportunity to bring its policies in line with its values. The proposal before its board - to end the national ban and let each local unit decide - would be a major step forward.

Yes, some groups would continue to discriminate against gays, and we'd like to see the Scouts go even further. But for an organization that reaffirmed its anti-gay policy as recently as seven months ago, the compromise on the table would be major progress, and local option gets around one insurmountable obstacle.

About 70% of troops are chartered to faith-based groups, including the Catholic Church, which condemns homosexuality as a sin. Forced to welcome openly gay Scouts and leaders, some groups would end their Scouting affiliation, seriously weakening an organization that has benefited generations of boys. Better to allow the units seeking to end bias to do so - and hope, with time, that more will follow suit.

Perhaps the most obnoxious argument against a policy change is that it would lead to an explosion of sexual abuse. Those who hold that view might want to consult the American Psychological Association, which states, "Homosexual men are not more likely to sexually abuse children than heterosexual men are."

Or they might want to think about Penn State's Jerry Sandusky, who on paper would have appeared the perfect Scout leader: Husband and father. Football coach. Counselor for troubled youths. Everyone now knows what horrors that image hid.

Scouting has a proud history, one that has shaped many political, corporate and community leaders. The Scouts' law - which includes being courteous, kind and helpful - should no longer be blemished by the organization's anti-gay stance.